I have been meaning to launch my own video streaming service for over two years now. I’ve had people ask me for it. I’ve wanted to do it. I knew it would be super cool. I have enough video content to make it worth while. And yet… I didn’t do it.
In my defense, I moved to another city. I had to get settled, find my way around, make new friends, and generally rebuild my life. There were other things that were more important. So the streaming service stayed on my to do list. And stayed. And stayed.
Until my current video host announced that they were changing how they do things. And suddenly… I couldn’t wait anymore. Apparently, I really did need a deadline.
So now I am in a mild state of panic, trying to get everything moved over. And here's the funny thing: it is WAY easier than I thought it was going to be.
Mind Fear
One of the reasons I had been putting it off was that, in my head, this was a HUGE, HUMUNGOUS JOB. I didn't understand how the system worked. I didn't know what all the tabs and options meant. I didn't understand how the controls affected the layout of the site. It was a giant unknown, and giant unknown things are really good at creating fear inertia.
But now that I'm actually doing it? I'm kind of thrilled. The support people have been helpful when I have questions. I'm figuring out what the controls do. I'm watching the site take shape and I LOVE how it looks and works. And I'm now thinking: I wish I had done this two years ago. LOL.
Can We Stop Procrastinating?
But I don't actually think the lesson here is “Stop procrastinating.” I think the lesson is: Be honest with yourself. And be compassionate with yourself.
We all procrastinate. Sometimes we procrastinate because the thing genuinely doesn't matter very much. Sometimes we procrastinate because we don't have the bandwidth. There are other things that need our attention more. And sometimes we procrastinate because we're scared. We're overwhelmed. We don't know how to do something, and our brains turn “I don't know how this works” into “This is going to be horrible.”
The cure for that kind of fear inertia is simply knowledge. Once you learn how something works, it stops being a giant scary unknown and becomes a series of manageable tasks. And sometimes those tasks are even fun.
Of course, that's not always the answer. Sometimes your body chemistry is off. Sometimes you're exhausted. Sometimes you genuinely have too much on your plate. But for a lot of us, learning more about the thing we're avoiding can make a remarkable difference.
Finally Getting It Done
Which brings me to something else I've learned about managing life. As Madonna once put it, you can't juggle all the balls you have in the air all the time. But you can remember where they fell so you can pick them up again later.
That's what I think I was doing with this project. I wasn't abandoning it. I was putting it down. And now it's time to pick it back up.
And I'm really excited about what I'm building. The new streaming service will eventually give me a dedicated web portal for my videos, and I'll also be able to create apps for phones and native apps for Roku and other TVs.
It's gonna be cool. And, after two years of procrastination, it's finally happening. I discovered that this enormous terrifying project I avoided for two years is actually kind of fun. Who knew?
You can take a look at the new streaming service here and perhaps join: https://humanistlearningsystems.vhx.tv/
Humanist Learning Systems Streaming Service
There are several free videos- and for one low monthly price you can view all my online courses that require a subscription to view. Help a girl out! Sign up and support my work. You know you want to.
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